Utility companies must connect their services to customers for a variety of reasons. Obviously, utilities must be connected to new customers. In addition, service is sometimes interrupted when, for example and not limitation, customers fail to pay, go out of town for extended periods, or perform maintenance (e.g., an electrician needs to disconnect service to replace the main circuit breaker panel). In addition, many utilities now offer services on a pay-as-you-go, or pre-paid, basis. This enables utilities to minimize their financial exposure and enables customer to carefully manage their utility spending and use.
Pre-pay enables customers to subscribe to utility services without having to pay a deposit, for example, and without utility service providers risking non-payment. Pre-pay also enables a customer to control the timing and amount of a utility payment, which can be particularly useful with non-essential services (e.g., cable television). In addition, because the utility service is provided after payment, the customer is provided with improved management over utility spending. In other words, when the customer has used the pre-paid amount, and no new funds have been added to the account, the service can be disconnected. This can prevent additional unplanned spending for the customer and can reduce or eliminate exposure for the utility.
Remote disconnection of service poses some risks, however. If electrical service is disconnected, for example, perishable items such as food and medicines, for example, which require refrigeration may spoil. In addition, loss of electrical power can cause a loss in air conditioning and/or heat, which can be deadly in extreme climates.
Although some risks exist when disconnecting service, these risks are generally more gradual in nature. Even in summer, for example, it takes several hours for a house to heat up and it may take days for a refrigerator or freezer to reach unsafe food safety temperatures. Utilities risk far greater exposure to liability, however, when remotely reconnecting services. Appliances that were in use when the power was disconnected, for example, may not have been unplugged or turned off after the power was disconnected. In addition, when the service interruption spans several hours or several days, a variety of dangerous situations may arise including, but not limited to, fire hazards, electrical shocks, and component damage. Flammable items in proximity to irons, ovens, and stoves, for example, pose a risk of fire when power is returned to these appliances. In addition, sensitive electronics may be damaged or destroyed from disconnection, reconnection, or a combination thereof.
As a result, conventional systems have attempted to mitigate this liability by requiring some physical interaction by the resident prior to restoring power. In this manner, the resident's physical actions are the final step, or authorization, in the reconnection process. In these systems, the resident must first deposit new funds into the account and then must physically depress a button on the utility meter to complete the reconnection process. This type of system ensures that the customer is home, but does little to ensure that the customer has verified that conditions are safe for the reconnect. As a result, conventional systems inconvenience customers, while providing only a false sense of security.
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional arming system 100 in a conventional electrical utility service network. The utility meter 20 located at the customer's location 25 (e.g., residence or business) is equipped with a hardware switch 30 (e.g., a button or lever connected to an electrical switch), to enable the customer 5 to authorize the reconnection of service to the location 25. The utility can employ a server 10, or bank of servers, to maintain customer records and account statuses. In some cases, the server 10 can be connected to the meter 20 directly, or may be connected wirelessly. The connection can also comprise a base station 15, or relay, to relay signals between the meter 20 and server 10.
When the customer is ready for service to be reconnected, the customer first makes a payment to the utility 110 via, for example and not limitation, an internet or phone connection to the utility's servers. The server can then send an “arm” command 120 to the meter. In some cases, the signal can be transmitted across a network and ultimately to the meter located at the customer's location. Upon receiving the arm command 120, the utility meter is placed in an “armed” state 130. To complete the connection, the customer must physically access the utility meter and press the “arm” button 140, or switch, to authorize reconnection. Only after the arm button has been depressed 140 can service be reconnected to the location.
While this conventional solution reduces some liability from foreseeable dangers such as fire hazard because at least the customer is present, this solution is not a total one and presents different, potential larger risks. In some cases, for example, the utility meter can be in a location that, in and of itself, poses a danger to the customer. In other cases, such as in an apartment complex, access to the utility meter may simply not available to the resident (e.g., it may be in a locked utility cabinet).
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that enables utility and other services to be reconnected to a location without requiring the customer to physically interact with the meter or other utility component. It should provide a means for customer interaction and/or confirmation of reconnection without requiring physical interaction between the customer and utility equipment. If desired, the customer should be able to provide such interaction without being present at the location.